Scaffold structure



June 23, 1959 w. SCHOENEBERG 2,891,820

SCAFFOLD STRUCTURE Filed Nov. 25, 1956 I PEiii I NVEN TOR. CARL W. SGHOENE BERG BY TTORNE KS.

United States Patent Q SCAFFOLD STRUCTURE Carl W. Schoeneberg, Kirkwood, Mo., assignor to Automatic Devices, Incorporated, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application November 23, 1956, Serial No. 623,965

9 Claims. (Cl. 304-40) This invention relates generally to improvements in a scaffold structure, and more particularly to improved apparatus for detachably joining the load-supporting members or standards of prefabricated, knock-down scaffold structures to cooperating bases or other members.

Certain types of conventional scaffold supporting structures generally include spaced standards and connecting brace members. Various members of these scaffold structures are readily detachable so that they can be disassembled for storage and transportation purposes. Importantly, it is desirable to have a simple and efiicient connecting apparatus by which the structural members can be quickly assembled and securely held in assembled relation.

An important object of the present invention is to realize a locking apparatus that is simple in construction and eificient in operation, such apparatus permitting swift assembly of parts and similarly facilitating dismantling, and yet capable of effecting complete safety during use.

Another important object is achieved by the provision of a detachable connection including a latch element carried on a bracket fixed to one of the structural members, and interfitting means between the latch element and bracket for permitting selectively movement of the latch element to locking or releasing positions relative to another structural member that is carried on a stud fixed.

to the first mentioned structuralmember.

Briefly, and yet more specifically, it is an objective to provide a detachable connection for separable structural members of a scaifold which are to be attached together, which comprises a stud fixed on the first member and extending through an aperture in the second member to support the second member, abracket fixed to the first member and provided with a notch, and a latch provided with a slot through which the bracket extends, the latch being selectively movable into the notch so that the latch is secured in a position immediately adjacent the second member to prevent unintentional Withdrawal from the stud.

Other important advantages are achieved by the particular inclination of the sloping margins that define the above mentioned notch, the notch margins abutting the latch to preclude swinging movement of the latch out of the locked position relative to the second structural member.

Still another important object is realized by the provision of a bifurcated portion on the latch adapted to straddle the stud when the latch is located in the locked position, and by the provision of asafety lock pin extending between the furcated portion at one side of the stud to preclude accidental disengagement of the latch from the bracket notch, and hence assure attachment of the structural members until manual removal of the pin.

The foregoing. and numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will more clearly appear from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, particularly when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

ice

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View, partly in cross section, of the detachable connection for separable structural members of a scaffold;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the connecting ap-. paratus shown in Fig. l, and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one structural member, its aifixed stud and bracket member and of the latch plate.

Referring now by characters of reference to the drawing, the detachable connection for separable structural members of a scaffold structure is hereinafter described. It is a common practice to have prefabricated knockdown supporting structures for scaffolds. or platforms whichsupport workers at an elevation. These scaffold supporting structures generally comprise spaced standards and certain connecting and bracing members, The detachable connection enables various members of these scaffold structures to be readily disassembled for storage and transportation, and as easily reassembled on the job to provide the desired scaffoldstructure.

In the drawing, the-load-supporting member or standard of the knock-down scaffold structure is generally indicated at 10, and. the brace member detachably connectedto standard 10 is referred to at 11. In the conventional scaffold structures, standard 10 is usually disposed in a vertical position while brace 11 is usually disposed diagonally or horizontally betweena pair of standards 10. In the preferred embodiment, brace 11 is provided with an integral flat end brace portion 12 in Which is provided a circular aperture 13;

The connecting apparatus for detachably connecting standards 10 and brace 11 includes a stud 14 fixed as by welding to standard 10 and disposed outwardly. in.a horizontal direction perpendicular to standard 10. The-aperture 13 of brace end 12 is adapted to receive stud 14 so that the brace 11 is carried and supported by stud 14.

Located immediately above stud 14 is a bracket plate 15 normally disposed in a'vertical plane, the bracket plate 15 being fixed as by welding to standard 10. Formed in upper margin 16 of bracket plate 15 is a pair-of notches 2t) and 21. Each of notches 2021 is defined by a pair of opposed, lateral abutment margins 22 and- 23 that slope upwardly and outwardly as is clearly showniin Figs, 1 and 3.

A latch plate generally indicated at 24 is carried by bracket plate 15. The latchplate 24 is reenforced by a marginal flange 25. Formed in latch plate 24is a vertical, elongate slot 26 through which the bracket plate 15 extends. The slot 26 is of a length to permit the latch plate 24 to be moved selectively along bracket plate 15, the latch plate being capable of swinging upwardly in an outermost position on bracket plate 15 because of the beveled portion 27. Moreover, the latch plate 24 can be selectively moved into either of notches 20 or 21 to retain brace 11 to standard It in the manner subsequently described in detail.

The lower end of latch plate 24 is bifurcated to provide spaced legs 30 and intermediate recess 31, the bifurcated portion straddling stud 14 immediately adjacent theouter side of brace end 12 when the latch plate 24'is located within notch 20.

To provide an additional safety feature, the legs 30 of the bifurcated portion extend below stud 14 when the latch plate 24 is located in the locked position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A safety lock pin 32 extends between legs 30, and is particularly carried by the marginalfiange 25 of such legs below stud 14. Itwill be obvious that safety lock pin 32 would effectively engage stud 14' to prevent unintentional'withdrawal of latch plate 2.4' from notch 20; The pin 32 must be manually removed in order for latch plate 24 to be moved out of thelocked position. As Will later appear, there is a provision to prevent unintentional outward displacement of the lower 3 end of latch arm 2 when in a locked position, but the safety lock pin 24 provides a definite cooperative locking feature.

The outer end of bracket plate 15 is provided with out-turned flange 33 that serves to retain latch plate 24 permanently on the bracket plate. This element will prevent loss or misplacement of the latch plate 24 and preclude the need for the workmen to carry the latch plates 24 as a separate item in erecting or disassembling the scaffold structure.

To assemble the latch plate 24 initially to bracket plate 15, the bracket plate 15 is inserted through slot 26. Then, the flange 33 at the outer end of upper margin 16 is bent outwardly so that bracket plate 15 cannot be removed from slot 26.

It is thought that the structure and function of the detachable connection has become fully apparent from the foregoing detailed description of parts, but for corn pleteness of disclosure it will be noted that the latch arm 24 must be moved to a position out of notches 23 or 21 and located in a canted position to permit the fitting of aperture 13 in brace end 12 over stud 14. With the brace end 12 moved inwardly to the position shown in Fig. 1, the latch arm 24 is moved inwardly along bracket plate 15 and moved into notch 20. In this locked position, the lower end of latch plate 24 is located immediately adjacent the outer side of brace end portion 12.

Furthermore, in this locked position, the opposed abutment margins 2223 engage opposite sides of latch plate 24 at vertically spaced regions. In other words, abutment margins 22-23 are sloped so that the latch plate 24 is jammed inbetween to preclude outward displacement of the lower portion of latch plate 24 from blocking relation to brace end 12. It is seen from Fig. 1 that sloping abutment margin 22 engages the inner side of latch plate 24 in the corner region adjacent top margin 16 of bracket plate 15, while sloping abutment margin 23 engages the outer side of latch plate 24 in the region immediately adjacent the top of slot 26, and below the region engaged by abutment margin 22. Engagement of abutment margins 2223 with latch plate 24 as above described, prevents any outward swinging of the lower end of the latch plate.

The latch plate 24 may be conveniently located in the other notch 21 if it is desired to attach two braces to the single stud 14. The position of notch 21 shifts the position of latch plate 24 outwardly so that the lower end of latch plate 24 is located immediately adjacent the outer side of the outermost brace.

After latch plate 24 is located in the locked position as described in detail above, the lock pin 32 may be inserted through aligned apertures formed in legs 3-1? of the lower bifurcated portion below stud 14. The lock pin 32 prevents latch plate 24 from being raised out of notch 20, and hence prevents unintentional detachment of brace 11 from standard 10.

To detach the structural members l1li of the scaffold, the lock pin 32 is manually removed from latch plate 24, and the latch plate 24 is raised out of notch 20. Then, the latch plate 24 is moved outwardly along bracket plate 15 and the lower bifurcated portion is swung upwardly in order for brace end 12 to be removed from stud 14. As explained previously, latch plate 24 is permanently attached to bracket plate 15 and is in position for subsequent manipulation incident to reassembly of brace 11 to standard 10.

From the above description it will be seen that a very simple and efiicient connecting apparatus has been realized, one which is very efiicient and easily operated. The latch plate 24 and bracket plate 15, are, as shown, made from a simple plate and can be easily and inexpensively produced. The device has been amply demonstrated in actual practice, found to be very successful and efiicient and is being commercially made.

Although the invention has been described by making detailed reference to a single preferred embodiment,

such detail is to be understood in an instructive, rather than in any restrictive sense, many variants being possible within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

I claim as my invention:

l. A detachable connection for separable structural members of a scaffold which comprises first and second members to be attached together, a stud fixed to the first member, a bracket plate fixed to the first member, the second member being detachably supported by said stud, a latch plate provided with an elongate slot through which the bracket plate extends, the bracket plate having a notch into which the latch plate is selectively disposed, the latch plate extending to a position immediately adjacent the second member when the latch plate is interfitted into said notch to prevent detachment of the second member from said stud, the slot being of a length permitting the latch plate to be moved selectively out of said notch and along said bracket plate away from the second member to permit detachment from said stud.

2. A detachable connection for separable structural members of a scaffold which comprises first and second members to be attached together, a stud fixed to the first member, a bracket plate fixed to the first member, the second member being detachably supported by said stud, the bracket plate having a notch defined by opposed, inclined abutment margins, a latch plate having a slot through which the bracket plate extends, the latch plate being selectively movable into said notch so that it extends immediately adjacent the second member, the latch plate in such position engaging the sloping abutment margins of said notch to hold the latch plate against outward displacement and to preclude unintentional removal of the second member from said stud.

3. The combination and arrangement of elements defined above in claim 2, but further characterized in that the sloping abutment margins engage opposite sides of the latch plate at points located in spaced relation depth-wise of the notch so that the latch plate portion located adjacent the second structural member is held against outward displacement.

4. A detachable connection for separable structural members of a scaffold which comprises first and second members to be attached together, a stud fixed to the first member, a bracket plate fixed to the first member above said stud, the second member having an aperture through which the stud extends, the bracket plate having a notch in its upper margin, said notch being defined by abutment margins that slope upwardly and outwardly. a latch plate having an elongate slot through which the bracket plate extends, the latch plate being selectively disposed in said notch, the latch plate in such position extending immediately adjacent the outer side of said second member, the latch plate engaging the sloping abutment margins of said notch to hold the latch plate against outward displacement and to preclude uninten tional removal of the second member from said stud.

5. The combination and arrangement of elements as recited above in claim 4, but further characterized in that the opposed sloping abutment margins are inclined upwardly and outwardly so that the abutment margins engage opposite sides of the latch plate in spaced relation depthwise of the notch when the latch plate is located in the locked position adjacent the second member.

6. The combination and arrangement of elements as recited above in claim 5, but further characterized in that the bracket plate is relatively movable in said slot to enable effective disengagement of the latch plate from the notch and from said sloping abutment margins, the latch plate being movable out of the lock position relative to the second structural member so as to permit removal of the second member from said stud.

7. A detachable connection for separable structural members of a scaffold which comprises first and second members to be attached together, a stud fixed to the first member, a bracket plate fixed to said first member above said stud, the second member having an aperture through which the stud extends, the bracket plate having a notch in its upper margin, said notch being defined by opposed margins that slope upwardly and outwardly, a latch plate having an elongate slot through which the bracket plate extends, the latch plate being selectively disposed in said notch between said abutment margins, the latch plate having a bifurcated portion straddling the stud at the outer side of said second member when the latch plate and notch are interfitted, the abutment margins engaging opposite sides of the latch plate in vertically spaced relation to preclude outward displacement of the bifurcated portion and to preclude unintentional removal of the second member from said stud.

8. The combination and arrangement of elements as recited above in claim 7, but further characterized in that the bifurcated latch plate portion extends below said stud when located in the locked position, and by the provision of a safety lock pin bridging the bifurcated portion below said stud to prevent unintentional removal of the latch plate from said notch.

9. A detachable connection for separable structural members of a scaffold which comprises first and second members to be attached together, a stud fixed to the first member, a bracket plate fixed to the first member above said stud, the second member having a portion provided with an aperture through which the stud extends, the bracket plate having a notch in its upper margin, a latch plate provided with an elongate slot through which the bracket plate extends, the latch plate being selectively disposed in said notch, the latch plate having a bifurcated portion straddling the stud immediately adjacent the second member portion when the latch plate and notch are interfitted, whereby to attach said members, and a safety lock pin bridging the bifurcated latch plate portion below said stud to prevent unintentional removal of the latch plate from said notch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,411,629 Lane Nov. 26, 1946 2,686,086 French Aug. 10, 1954 2,708,606 Schumacher May 17, 1955 2,726,902 Borgman et a1. Dec. 13, 1955 

